


The New Young Justice

by SoulOrchard



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics), Gotham Academy (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-20
Updated: 2016-01-20
Packaged: 2018-05-15 03:10:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5769064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SoulOrchard/pseuds/SoulOrchard
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Damian receives a distressing message from Gotham academy. While checking it out he falls right into the middle of a ghost story. Follow the son of Batman as he tries to map new territory, friendship and leading a team of misfits. </p><p>The New Young Justice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The New Young Justice

“Lights on.”

A loud clack follows in response to the command. One by one, soft lights chased away the darkness, emanating from the walls. The large screen joins them as Damian Wayne made his way toward the control panel. Seasoned combat boots, muddy, left tracks on the floor. White lensed eyes scanned The Robin’s Nest, sneering at the photos left behind by the lair’s previous occupant. Pinned up on corkboard and linked together by colored string. Looking more like the musings of a madman than detective work really.

"Alfred, mark case file titled 'The Red Riding Hood' as solved." Damian called out into the empty room. A face appeared on the screen above the control panel that looked eerily similar to the Wayne family butler. Less detailed, more minimalistic style. All lines and shades and disapproving frowns. The boy plopped down in the oversized leather chair, giving himself a spin.

“Yes, Master Damian. Was the case rather difficult? You’ve been out of The Nest for a good while, sir.” Alfred ‘humphed’ at the muddy prints before initiating a cleaning drone to clean after the young boy. 

“It would have been a simple in an out mission but those idiots Bluebird and Spoiler dropped in completely unprepared! I had to babysit them and apprehend her and her goons. The quality of vigilantes in Gotham has really degraded since my father's absence.” Damian groaned, kicking his feet up onto the panel next to the light projected keyboard. 

“Boots on the ground, young master.” The computerized Alfred scolded. “What would Master Timothy think?”

“What would I care what he thinks? If he wasn't smart enough to keep me out then he didn't deserve this place” The boy gloated as he leaned back deeply into the chair, and stared at the ceiling while remembering months ago when he had “stumbled” upon The Robin’s Nest. He had easily overridden the security and made it his. He’d then went to work upgrading the defense protocols and passwords so that Drake could not enter again. Timothy Drake was not happy with this development.

The Robin’s Nest was suitable for his needs of exploring a life out from the shadow of Batman. After a year long romp around the world, making decisions, friends, and enemies, he had returned to his home to find that Batman had been...replaced. His father was gone...still here, yes, but gone. Didn't recognize him, know his name, remember his face. Perhaps it was time for Damian to make a solo hero career of his own, like his predecessors. Like Tim had...or Grayson before him. 

“Excuse me, Master Damian.” The soft spoken electronic butler broke the young boys concentration.

“Yes, what is it Alfred?” Damian didn't pull his eyes away from the ceiling of his new lair.

“I seem to be picking up a signal, a message as it were from Gotham Academy...It’s a signal being broadcast to the old computers in the batcave. But since the batcave has been...decommissioned, I have rerouted the message to you.”

“Why me? Can’t the police’s Batman handle that? And why is there anything that would broadcast to the batcave at that school anyway?” Damian folded his arms, eyes now squinting at the computer. “It’s been a long night. I need to rest.”

“The G.C.P.D. are handling a string of crimes by Anarky, sir. As for your second query, data not found.” Alfred brought up the empty search result as proof.

“Grayson, Drake….Todd? Aren’t they in town?” The young boy sighed.

“Master Dick is still in Tunisia. Master Timothy was last seen in New York dealing with something called an O.M.A.C. and Master Jason told me to, uh, “expletive” off, he is on vacation.”

Damian sighed deeply again before letting himself collapse further into the chair, tired. “Play the stupid message.”

“As you wish sir.” Alfred’s face faded out and a window opened on the screen, displaying an audio file that began playing.

“How do we know if this thing works?” He heard one voice, a female voice he didn't recognize.

“It has the bat symbol on it! Of course it’s gonna work, Megan!” Damian frowned when he heard another female’s voice. He knew that voice very well.

“Maps, hush or it’s going to hear us!” A harsh whisper, and then a silence. “I don't know if anyone will hear this message, or if Batman, or whoever is out there, will even come but...we need help. There's a...well...a something at Gotham Academy--”

“A ghost!”

“Maps!” Megan hushed. “Ghosts don't exist...I think. The point is, we were down in the lower levels of the Academy when this...thing attacked us. My tel--nothing down here has a signal and all the doors suddenly locked and we can't get any of them open.” This Megan sounded more frightened than Maps did.

“It’s a poltergeist!” Map’s shouted, irritated.

“Maps, it’s going to find us if you keep shouting like that.” 

“Sorry, Megan.” The younger girl whispered.

“We found a door in the lowest levels of the academy with a bat symbol on it. I managed to open it and we found..this thing in it. I hope someone hears this because the power on this thing is almost out and…”

Damians eyebrow arched slightly as the recording went silent. He found himself leaning in slightly.The audio cuts out completely, enveloping the room in a deafening silence. A high pitched crackle surprises the young boy, almost blowing out the speakers. In between the static and underneath the interference Damian hears a subtle and almost inaudible word. “Secret.”

The audio file ends, Damian then laced his fingers together, glaring at the screen in contemplation.

“Alfred.”

“Yes, Master Damian?” The young Robin leaned back in the chair once again.

“Create a new case file.”

“What shall this one be called, sir?”

“Case file, titled...secret.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

Damians footsteps echoed in the old halls of Gotham Academy. Old floor boards creak and musty old paintings of men long dead sneer at him as he makes his way down the abandoned corridors. It was past midnight and all the lights were off, the classrooms were empty and security was...lax. Sneaking in was no problem. Stifling his reflex to throw daggers into the shadows, that was a problem. He felt eyes on him, a familiar stare. 

After he had quickly procured a blueprint of the academy from his father’s old files, he knew where to go. The school's design was ridiculous, like a maze reworked into a school. At first, he was at a loss...winding hallways, and secret passages...but nothing that seemed like what he was looking for. There were tunnels and basements, sure. But nothing below that.... But Damian had found an anomaly, a misnomer. A hallway that had no doors and essentially went no where. He would begin there.

As the young Robin made his way down the halls, past the windows letting the eerie night in, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. The echoes of his footsteps were off ever so slightly. His eyes darted around the empty and dark hallways, catching shadows in his peripheral vision, still feeling eyes on him--from everywhere, from nowhere. Someone was following him. Someone good, someone trained. Lining up their footsteps with his so he wouldn't notice. Wouldn't suspect. But they have underestimated Damian Wayne. And they would pay. 

He turned quickly, down a hall and halted. Back up against a wall, cloaked by shadow, he waited. He slowed his breathing and calmed his beating heart ‘till it was almost still. Blood going cold with anticipation for battle. The footsteps that were not his kept walking forward before slowing down. Cautiously, they ventured into the empty hallway where Robin lay in wait. Nervous footsteps stumbled around in the dark. As soon as the shadow passed within Robin’s vision he attacked, jumped from the shadows, resisting the urge-the reflex to dig a blade between his stalkers ribs. Grabbing them by the wrist and shoulder, he slammed his pursuiter into the wall across the hall. 

He was about to begin his assault. Maybe he’d start at the throat and make his way to their clavicle, but stopped short when he saw that it was a young girl. She was older than him but still--in a gotham Academy uniform. Wide frightened eyes and wild blond hair being illuminated by the sliver of moonlight that cut through the shadows. Damian growled in irritation.

“Who are you?” He said in a hard whisper. “Why are you following me!?” He felt his heartbeat return to a normal rhythm. 

“I-I’m Thea. Thea Dearden. Holy crap, you’re Robin! THE Robin! Not one of those kids in dress up!” She explained in nervous and hushed excitement, seemingly unaware that she almost had her esophagus collapsed and her ribcage shattered. 

“Shh! You're going to give me away! And yes, I am THE Robin.” Damian let go of her and stepped back, getting a better look at her. “Why are you following me?” She didn't look like a trained assassin, someone who could skillfully match up their footsteps with someone else. He’d been fooled before...

“I-I wasn’t!” She held her hands out in surrender. Damian could see through the soft light the calluses on her fingers. “I mean, I wasn't at first. I was...looking for my friend Megan. We’re roommates, but she never came back. I was looking for her and I found you..I saw you climb through a window.”

Damian’s suspicious gaze was making her uncomfortable. “Go back to your room. It’s not safe around here. Especially at night. I’ll retrieve this ‘Megan’ for you.” Damian promptly turned away from her and began again toward the mysterious hallway. 

“W-wait up! I want to find Megan, too!” She rushed to catch up with Damian. No, this girl couldn't be the one who he heard before. Her steps were heavy and dragged slightly.

“Go to bed, girl. You’re out of your depth.” Damian didn't spare her a second glance, eyes instead scanning for anything he could miss.

“Out of my...I’ll have you know I--” Her rant was cut short by a muffled scream coming from deeper in the shadow covered halls. “That was Megan!” Thea shouted before dashing toward the sound at top speed.

“Wait! Damn it!” Damian chased after her, finding it slightly difficult to keep up with the school girl. “Turn right!” He shouted, his voice seemed to be absorbed by the night shadows, the girl heard him though and cut right, hard down the hallway Damian had been looking for. They both slowed down to a walk. 

At the end of the Hallway, a large statue stood, staring him down. The statue was of a man, atop a large bat that he had slain. Damian tsked. “I don't remember this statue ever being here...Who is this guy?” Thea murmured as she drew closer to the bronze statue, glistening defiantly in the dark.

“His name was Thomas Wayne...the first Thomas Wayne. He was a psychopath and deeply routed in the occult. He’s an embarrassment to the name Wayne. There shouldn't be a statue of him anywhere.“ Damian walked closer to the statue as well, on the opposite side of Thea. A deep frown cut across his face as he looked up to the victorious grin that adorned the bronze man. He ran his gloved finger across the ear of the giant bad and then analyzed it, looked at his gloved fingertips closely. “No dust.” Thea looked at him quizzically. “This thing is relatively new.” Damian stepped back. “Penny 3.” The young Robin held his finger to the communicator in his ear.

“Yes, Master Robin.” Alfred chimed in, from the Robin’s Nest.

“I need a full analysis of the Gotham Academy, all past headmasters, those involved with the construction, those who provided the money...alumni as well.”

“Of course, Master Robin.”

“Who are you talking to?” Thea asked, completely confused, making her way closer to the short boy.

“Hush.” Damian bit out. The girl frowned, crossing her arms. “And Penny 3…If I don’t check back in by sunrise...alert Grayson and Drake.” Damian squinted at the statue.

“As you wish Master Damian...perhaps it would be pertinent to call for assistance now? Perhaps I can get in contact with Master Duke? Or maybe Miss Harper or Miss Stephanie?”

“No, I should be able to handle this alone. They would only get in my way.” He threw a sideways glance toward Thea. 

“Understood, Master Robin. Am I to assume you will maintain radio silence for the time being?” The computerized butler queried further.

“You would assume correct Penny 3. Robin out.”

“Are you, like talking to the batcave? Is that a real thing?” Damian looked at her for a second.

“I’m Robin, why would I have a batcave? That would be like Green Arrow having a batcave. Now stop your questions!” Damian gave her a pointed look before looking back at the statue. “Barbotose.” Damian spoke with resonance.

A sudden “clunk” could be heard from behind the wall and then several gears shifting and whirring to life. The wall behind the statue shifted, before sliding open slowly, revealing a stairway leading into an inky black nothing. Damian looked back at the gawking girl, slight smirk on his face. “You coming?”

“You aren't going to send me back to my room?” Her manicured eyebrow arched.

“What good would that do? You wouldn't listen anyway.” Damian stated, fists resting on his narrow hips.

“Oh, you're not as dumb as you look.” She smirked, walking past Damian into the unknown. 

“Do not make me regret this.” He growled, before disappearing into the shadows himself.

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

As they descended the opened passageway, which had been cascading almost imperceptible light down, closed behind them. Thea shouted as everything faded into nothing, backlit by the whirring of gears and the resolute slam of the door. 

“Calm down.” Damian said as he produced a powerful miniature flashlight from his utility belt. He clicked it on and chased away the ever engulfing shadows.. He looked at the walls closely as he continued, noting the strange markings. He would stop every so often to take a picture with a camera he also had produced from his belt. Thea following very close behind. “Not so close, you're going to trip me.” The boy whispered.

“I’m scared, holy crap this place is creepy.” She stammered, bumping into Damian on more than one occasion.

“Wish you had gone back to bed now huh?” Damian taunted, looking at her over his shoulder. 

“Hey I-”

“Shut up. Look there.” Damian pointed the light at a door that held the bat symbol on it. They were at the end of the hallway. The symbols on the walls seemed to be more cluttered, overlapping each other.

“Is there, like, a secret bat bunker down here?”

“No...there shouldn't be...” Damian trailed off as he got closer to the door. Pressing his hand to the large door, he felt the indentations that made the bat symbol. The metal of the door was warm.

“Can you open it? With this?” Thea asked, bringing his attention to the panel on the side of the door. It was a palm scanner, his father used to use them a lot as a security measure before he learned the hard way that they were not perfect. After Hush and Clayface. It, unlike the door was covered in dust although it looked like someone recently wiped a lot of it away.

“This scans palm prints for access.” The boy mumbled, taking off his glove before pressing his hand onto the panel. It came to life suddenly, light blinking and a bright green flash scanning the design of Damian's skin.

“You think Megan came through here?”

“Yes...but they shouldn't have been able to bypass this.”

“Access Denied.” A computerized voice said, announced to the hallway.

“Tt.” 

“Huh, maybe you aren't the real Robin.” Thea gave the shorter boy a skeptical look.

“Please, Of course I’m Robin. And no ancient door under a cursed academy is going to say otherwise.” He began to search for something in one of the pouches of his belt.

“Did you say cursed?”

“Hush! I’m working.” Robin retrieved the tool he had been looking for. It looked like black slab, something made of cool dark marble. He held it onto the panel. “Code: Robin, 05. Override Zur-En-Arrh.”, the black slab turned and angry red and the side panel lights up and flashes once again.

“Access Approved.” 

Damian smirks. “Child’s play.”

As the door begins to open slowly, Thea looks down at the young Robin. “What does Zur-En-Arrh mean? And what was that thing”

“It's...complicated. This thing however,” He shows her the black slab before putting it back in his belt. “Is something I created in my downtime. It overrides most computer systems. I call it the Rosetta Stone”. In truth it was a device that Tim Drake had been tinkering with but could not get to work as he had wanted. Damian had taken it when he had taken The Robin’s Nest and completed it. He hadn't had the opportunity to rub it in the older boys face yet.

Once the door was open, the lights came on revealing a wide assortment of things. Old costumes from the justice league, weapons, old devices that probably didn't work any longer. Most covered in dust and grime. Cobwebs and neglect.

“Whoa!! This is so cool! It’s like a justice league museum...” Thea exclaimed in amazement before wandering from Damian's side.

“Hardly, it's just full of old junk. How it got here though…I don't recognize any of these things...” The young Robin walked to a display for a costume he found vaguely familiar. Similar to Batgirls but very different, the mouth opening of the cowl was covered. On the ground in front of it was an old recording device. Damian picked it up and examined it. There was no more power to operate the device, this had been what sent the signal Maps and Megan had used. 

“Dude, check it out!” Thea called from across the room. Damian frowned when he saw her in one of green arrows old hoods with a quiver slung over her shoulder and and the bow in her hand, arrow pulled taut.

“Put that down before you hurt yourself. It could be an exploding arrow...or one of those dumb boxing glove arrows Green Arrow is so fond of.” The boy rolled his eyes.

“Fine, but I’ll have you know I’m an excellent archer.” She put the arrow back in the quiver and began to put the bow back when they both heard something coming from deeper into the room. “What was that?” It sounded like scratching at the walls.

“Shh!” Damian took off for the back of the room, which turned out to lead into another tunnel system. Retrieving a batarang from his belt he held it ready to strike as they got closer to the sound.

“Wait up!” Thea whispered loudly, bow drawn and arrow taut again. She stepped forward slowly and reluctantly. Frightened out of her mind but still went forward.

“Put that thing away before you--”

“Die ghost jerk!” The shout startles them. A small girl jumps out of the shadows swinging a bat. The illuminum catching the light.

“Maps wait!” A girl with red hair chased out after her.

“Holy crap!” Thea screamed, releasing the arrow and tumbling back.

“Watch out!” Damian lept forward, trying to grab the arrow mid flight but did not make it. The arrow went whizzing over the small girl's, Maps, head and dug itself into the forehead of Megan, causing her to fall and hit the floor with a sickening thud.

“Oh god, oh god. I didn't mean to…” Thea dropped the bow.

“Megan?” Maps asked, sinking down to her knees.

“It...it was an accident..I..” Damian trailed off.

Quickly, Megan sat up, shocking Maps and Thea who shrieked. Maps crawled backwards away.

“Zombie!!” The girl shrieked.

Damian drew his Batarang again, taking a step back. “This...this is awkward.” The red haired girl said calmly as she looked at the arrow protruding from her skull. No blood was seeping from the wound. She reached up and grabbed it, yanking it out with a strong sharp tug. The wound on her forehead seemed to heal instantly. Maps fainted.

“Identify yourself!” Damian demanded as he stepped in front of a still shocked Thea. 

“Woah, waoh. Calm down. I can explain but you have to promise not to freak out.” The girl held out her hands to show she meant no harm. She tried to smile a disarming smile but it meant nothing to Robin.

“You have five seconds!” Damian’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

“I won't even need that.” Megan said as her skin turned an unearthly shade of green and her gotham academy uniform changed into a sleek black suit. Smooth lines and a red inverted cape fluttered out from her back. “My name is M'gann M’orzz. I’m a martian.”

Another loud thud came from behind the young Robin. Not wanting to take his eyes off the potential threat he glanced back to at Thea. She had also fainted.

“Tt, Useful.” Damian sighed.


End file.
